We’ve seen pretty fun fights last week. Yes, the main event was a snoozefest as Cory Sandhagen outworked Rob Font via ground control, but the co-main was a banger. Jessica Andrade tried to knock out Tatiana Suarez, but an experienced wrestler did a tremendous job by taking her down to the canvas and finishing the fight via a very rare arm-in-guillotine choke.
UFC On ESPN 50 Bonuses
There was no Fight of the Night bonus on this card. Yet, the UFC president rewarded five fighters with Performance of the Night awards and an extra 50k.
As expected, Dana White enjoyed Tatiana Suarez’s submission victory over the former strawweight queen Jessica Andrade. This submission of the bottom was nasty.
Dustin Jacoby pulled out a massive upset against Kennedy Nzechukwu via a first-round big right-hand finish. Nzechukwu hasn’t been finished for a very long time. Assu Almabaev dominated Ode Osbourne in his UFC debut and finished the fight via a rear-naked choke in the second round.
UFC head honcho also rewarded Carlston Harris, who miraculously came back after losing two rounds with an impressive anaconda choke in the third, and Diego Lopes, who finished Gavin Tucker with a wild triangle armbar.
Carlston Harris was on the verge of a loss against Jeremiah Wells, as the powerful American dominated for two rounds. But Wells gassed in the third, and the first-ever Guyana-born UFC Octagon warrior stopped him via anaconda choke. Diego Lopes looked great against Gavin Tucker, and finished the bout via triangle armbar after only 98 seconds!
UFC On ESPN 51 Announcement
UFC Nashville’s event was nice, but it is time to take a look at the upcoming UFC fight card. The most popular MMA promotion returns to UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, for another fun card. This time, the fearsome striker Vicente Luque will meet the former 155-pound king Rafael dos Anjos in the main event of the evening.
Photo: @UFCBrasil Twitter
Luque is a master of a big right hand and D’Arce chokes. His BJJ knowledge is tremendous, and he put many top-notch division names to sleep. Yet, he wasn’t successful in his last two bouts, so he’ll be looking to win this one by any means necessary.
Rafael dos Anjos is past his prime. He won the 155-pound title in the past, but he’s doing well at 170 at the moment. His loss to Rafael Fiziev happened in round 5, the fight looked pretty much even until the big knockout blow. Dos Anjos defeated Barbarena and Moicano pretty easily, and he’s ready for a long war.
Prediction: over 2.5 rounds
You can expect technical warfare in the co-main event of the evening. It is very hard to knock out Cub Swanson, as his footwork and counters annoy most fighters. He never stays in one spot, and changes angles all the time, which could be a big problem for a one-punch knockout artist Hakeem Dawodu.
Prediction: over 2.5 rounds
UFC On ESPN 51 Announcement
You can see the whole fight card in the paragraph below. There are many promising names here.
Main Card (UFC on Fight Pass, ESPN/ESPN+, 7 PM ET, 1 AM CET)
Welterweight (170 pounds): Vicente Luque (21-9-1) vs. Rafael dos Anjos (32-14-0)
Featherweight (145 pounds): Cub Swanson (28-13-0) vs. Hakeem Dawodu (13-3-1)
Light Heavyweight (205 pounds): Khalil Rountree (11-5-0) vs. Chris Daukaus (12-6-0)
Strawweight (115 pounds): Polyana Viana (13-5-0) vs. Iasmin Lucindo (14-5-0)
Middleweight (185 pounds): Tafon Nchukwi (6-3-0) vs. AJ Dobson (6-2-0)
Middleweight (185 pounds): Josh Fremd (10-4-0) vs. Jamie Pickett (13-9-0)
Preliminary Card (UFC on Fight Pass, ESPN/ESPN+, 4 PM ET, 10 PM CET)
Bantamweight (135 pounds): Marcus McGhee (7-1-0) vs. JP Buys (9-5-0)
Lightweight (155 pounds): Terrance McKinney (13-6-0) vs. Mike Breeden (10-5-0)
Featherweight (145 pounds): Francis Marshall (7-1-0) vs. Isaac Dulgarian (5-0-0)
Heavyweight (265 pounds): Josh Parisian (15-6-0) vs. Martin Buday (12-1-0)
Strawweight (115 pounds): Montserrat Ruiz (10-2-0) vs. Jaqueline Amorim (6-1-0)
Flyweight (125 pounds): Juliana Miller (3-2-0) vs. Luana Santos (5-1-0)
Juliana Miller vs Luana Santos will probably turn technical, while Montserrat Ruiz should get an advantage over Jaqueline Amorim. Josh Parisian will be looking to knock out Martin Buday early in the fight, as a Slovakian fighter has better cardio. We might expect a big KO in this bout.
Francis Marshall vs Isaac Dulgarian’s gonna be fireworks, just like Terrance McKinney vs Mike Breeden. All these guys are known for big knockouts and a ‘kill-or-be-killed’ mentality’, and their battles are always entertaining. Marcus McGhee shouldn’t have a hard time against JP Buys, who returns to the UFC after an unsuccessful first run. McGhee hits very hard, plus this is his natural weight class, he should win this one.
Josh Fremd Vs Jamie Pickett is probably going to be technical warfare, as Pickett likes to fight long-range, while Fremd dominates on the mats. Tafon Nchukwi makes his middleweight debut against AJ Dobson, you might expect a violent knockout here.
Polyana Viana vs Iasmin Lucindo is a clash of two very experienced ground fighters, but Viana should win this one. The most promising bout of the main card is Khalil Rountree vs Chris Daukaus, as a striker meets grappler. One way or another, this one will not go to the judges’ scorecards.
UFC On ESPN 51 Predictions
My picks and predictions for the upcoming UFC fight card are available to watch in the playlist below.
Bellator 298 Is Heading Our Way
But that’s not all folks, as Bellator 298 takes place this weekend too. The event will go down in Sanford Pentagon, Sioux Falls, Dakota. You can watch the preliminary card on YouTube, while the main fights are on Showtime.
Photo: @BellatorMMA Twitter
Wrestling phenom Logan Storley will try to take Brennan Ward to the ground and dominate on the mats – his takedown offense and cage cutting are tremendous. On the other hand, Ward gets the advantage as long as the fight stays on the feet. Interesting clash, but Brennan isn’t a better fighter than Yaroslav Amosov, who outclassed Storley in their previous bout.
Prediction: Storley to win
I hope the second fight between Valentin Moldavsky and Steve Mowry will not end via no contest. Last time, an accidental eye poke led to a stoppage after only 54 seconds. Mowry’s cardio is good, he’s more technical than Valentin Moldavsky. I guess Mowry shouldn’t have a hard time winning this battle.
Moldavsky’s IG: @valentin_moldavskii_official
Mowry’s IG: @tallstevefightspeople
Prediction: Mowry to win
Check out my Bellator 298 main card picks in the video below.
What a lovely weekend for the fans of mixed martial arts! You can enjoy Bellator on Friday, while the UFC Fight Night: Luque vs Dos Anjos takes place on Saturday. I bet you’ll enjoy this weekend combat sports addicts!
